I am so ready. Ready to move up from Ukrop’s sushi to the real deal. The timing is right.  Mai Sushi, just up the street from me in The Village Shopping Center just got a rave review from Richmond Magazine.  You see, my kids, just like the reviewer’s kids, love sushi. Now, they weren’t drinking miso from their sippy cups or anything, but they really like it. Especially the vegetarian versions.  I can’t wait to try this place.

The seaweed salad was so fresh it squeaked. The gyoza, pan-fried dumplings stuffed with puréed shrimp and minimally seasoned, are simply nirvana. They are so light, delicate and delicious that I must ’fess up to returning twice the next week just for the dumplings. One batch was ever so slightly greasy, but at $4.75 for an order of six delectable seafood pillows, one can hardly complain.Mai Sushi offers all of the standard fare — tempura, teriyaki, udon and sashimi. The rolls, however, are the main attraction, and this is where Mike’s mastery is most evident. Some sushi places can get a little hokey with presentation. At Mai Sushi the rolls are exquisite in their Zen-like simplicity, and the ingredients are of top quality. My Green Dragon Roll did look just like a miniature sea creature as it snaked its way across a pure white plate, but it was the subtlety of Mike’s art that was most impressive. Nothing about his food or his establishment is cliché. Thin slices of perfectly ripe avocado draped over eel and cucumber rolls with plenty of tobiko on top and two little octopus tentacles for the eyes of the “dragon” made for a deliciously filling and gorgeous dinner. My dining companion called his Rainbow Roll (a sushi classic of crabmeat and cucumber inside and raw tuna, salmon, white fish and avocado on the outside) the best he’s ever had in Richmond.

 

Oh, one more thing. This place started out as Haru Sushi. So, they apparently have two names. The sign says Haru, but the place is now Mai.